Collectibles

The nutcracker (nussknacker) is one of the most popular German souvenirs to bring back…but where can you buy an original German made nutcracker with all the cheap China made products flooding the market? I did a bit of research about this and came out with two locations in Frankfurt am Main.

Germany has a long history of making quality wooden toys and the nutcracker was originally made in the rural areas of Germany. It’s usually shaped as a soldier and has a large mouth which can be opened with a wooden lever at the back of the doll. You can insert a nut inside the mouth and push down, cracking the nut – although the figurines are mostly used for decorative purposes now.

Steinbach is the most premium manufacturer and all their nutcracker dolls are hand carved. These would run in the hundreds of Euros for just a small figurine. It’s not about the size (haha, no really) but the quality! There are huge 1 foot nutcrackers for 20 Euros but those are mass produced China made dolls.

I couldn’t afford a Steinbach but I still wanted a German made nutcracker so I went with Seiffener Volkskunst instead. These nutcrackers are not only handmade, but also hand painted in Germany! That’s why every nutcracker looks a little different – the paint on every single one isn’t the same. Their wooden toys are all individually made and painted!

I got a 1 foot nutcracker for my dear as a souvenir for 48 Euros. The nutcracker dolls can run from 50 Euros – 200+ Euros, depending on the size and detail. There are two shops in Frankfurt which is reputable – the big Handwerkskunst am Romer and the smaller, more cottage industry-like Handwerkskunst Ulrike Scheit.

The prices are same in both – avoid the tourist traps that sells souvenirs, these are dedicated stores which sells wooden toys and only handmade wooden toys. I went *twice* (running up a 30 Euro taxi bill each way) so I could get another nutcracker doll for my dad. Old German folklore says the nutcracker dolls are keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home by guarding your family from evil spirits and danger.

“Don’t be afraid, my beard is long, my head is large, my look is grim but that matters not. I won’t bite you. In spite of my big mouth and grim appearance, I look with my heart for your happiness.”

Posted: 6:13 pm Frankfurt time (GMT +2) on the 14th April – we’re still one day behind and it’s our last day in Germany!

I saw the Godiva 2013 Mid-Autumn Limited Edition Collection last week at the Suria KLCC shop in Malaysia. I was quite intrigued and thought it would make a lovely gift for my girlfriend. There’s a box that cost RM 463 (I think) and I figured it’ll be worth it since it’s premium chocolate mooncakes and you only get it once a year.

This is the poster I saw – Full Moon Indulgence.

However, when I came back just 24 hours later, the box set was sold out! This really is a limited edition run. There’s a RM 249 box set but I didn’t quite like that since it has the regular GODIVA range of chocolates inside.

Thus, I bought the GODIVA 2013 Mid-Autumn Festival Limited Edition box that was in the poster – it’s RM 159 for one large chocolate mooncake and 8 mini chocolate mooncakes.

There are two types of large chocolate mooncakes – this Belgium purveyor of fine chocolates produced a dark chocolate version and a milk chocolate version. The RM 159 box only has the dark chocolate version but there are 8 mini-mooncakes called Pepite Mooncake Chocolates that gives you a taste of the entire range of the Godiva 2013 Mid-Autumn Festival collection!

The 3 different flavored chocolate mooncakes are:

White Chocolate Mooncake: Strawberry-Pomegranate Crunchy

This is a white chocolate mooncake with a filling of crispy strawberry crunch and pomegranate chocolate ganache. I liked this one the most – the white chocolate exterior tastes sweet and the strawberries inside has bits of fruit still on it!

Milk Chocolate Mooncake: Apricot-Peach Crunchy

The milk chocolate exterior is made with Ghana milk cocoa, Turkish hazelnut and Louisiana walnut. The two different nuts makes up the two layers inside the chocolate mooncake and the two different fruits makes it taste like a nectarine dipped chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Mooncake: Mango-Passion Fruit Crunch

This is 64% Peruvian dark chocolate as the exterior with soy beans in Hawaiian almond paste and caramel hazelnut to balance the bitter dark chocolate. I like the mango and passion fruit inside too! This is also available in the large size that we’re going to eat tonight!

I think you can buy the large chocolate mooncakes individually for about RM 80 (calculating back from the box price) but I got the 9 piece Mid-Autumn Gift Box since I wanted to try all three flavors and the large mooncakes are only available in dark and milk chocolate.

It’s the most expensive mooncake I’ve ever bought but I think it’s also the most unique one! We’ve had the Pepite Mooncake Chocolates (one of each flavor) and we’re saving the big one for tonight. The 9-piece Godiva 2013 Mid-Autumn Festival Collection has one large dark chocolate mooncake and 8 pepeite mooncake chocolates (2 of white chocolate, 3 each of white and dark chocolate).

I’ve always been fascinated by these things. It’s a newly launched magazine that comes with a full model of the HMS Victory! It appeals to the inner man inside, the urge to build something coherent from pieces. I think it might be an evolutionary step, right after we got through the hunter-gatherer phase.

Build Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory features a section in the magazine dedicated to the history behind this ship, particularly with its regards to history. If you’re a history buff, you’ll know very well about the Battle of Trafalgar and this is one of the ships built during that late 18th Century period.

The HMS Victory is Britain’s most famous warship and it’s also the oldest commission warship in the world!

The basics of marine modeling is also explained in the magazine, which included a guide for beginners. It’s a very serious hobby in some circles and authenticity and attention to detail is highly sought after.

These model kits usually costs in the thousands but this magazine allows you to have one (albeit in stages) for a fraction of the price.

Issue 1 comes with a DVD that explains the process of modeling very well. There’s a bonus in every issue in addition to the remaining parts of the ship you need to complete HMS Victory – the first issue has a complete cannon kit!

The cannon is made of metal and it’s modeled right after the original Victory’s 12-pounder guns. The attention to detail is incredible – there’s the barrel, vent, thimble, trunnion, carriage, quoin and even trunks to make it movable!

You’ll need some tools and materials and to start off with, Issue 1 provides you with a small bottle of PVA glue.

You can subscribe and get a FREE model tool kit, which is quite comprehensive and suits the needs of this project and also a magnifying glass (told you it was for serious modelers, a toy, this is not).

The best part about this is the incredible detail of HMS Victory supplied with the magazine – it’s faithfully modeled on the original ship and when done it’ll be a 1:84 scale which comes up to 1.25 meters in length!

There’s also a removable cutaway section in the finished model which allows you to see the action below decks. It comes alive with the addition of the ships crew in the heat of naval combat. It’s be the ultimate model!

The magazine cum modeling kit is called Build Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory and it retails for just RM 9.90 for Issue 1. Get more details at Build the Victory. It’s out in stores now – you can find it at your nearest newsstand or book store. The issues will be released weekly so there’s something for you to do every weekend to make your very own HMS Victory! :)

Okay kids, now over the years you’ve heard me mention several different stories on how I lost my virginity.

Story #1

I was studying in New Zealand when I was 15 and hooked up with this Kiwi girl called Natalie. This is the generally accepted claim which I documented in my NZ high school chronicles.

Story #2

This is a little known fact that only a few of my closest friends know. I actually didn’t penetrate when I was 15. I had various sexual encounters over the years but never intercourse until I was 17. However, it was with a girl which I would probably never bring home to my family and when the time came (the movie Poltergeist was playing in the background – how’s that for total recall) I semi-penetrated without protection but ended up limp coz I was so afraid that she had HIV.

It’s an irrational fear of mine due to all the STI literature with graphic photos that my mom forced me to read when I was a kid. I tried again the next day with a condom but I just couldn’t get it up.

I finally got over my fear during New Year’s Eve of 2006 when I was at the ripe, old age of 25. My girlfriend at that time was quite puzzled by my reluctance (since the opposite is usually true). We’ve been together for a couple of months and she made me overcome my fear (plus I thought I was way too old to be still a virgin then and it was NYE).

I did make up for lost time though and I can’t even remember how many sexual partners I have.

Sex education in Malaysia has always been rather lacking. A lot of people do not know about gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, HPV, HIV and other STIs. According to the Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey 2011, a staggering 40% of Malaysians do not use protection at their sexual debut. That is indeed quite shocking when you combine it with the other bit of information gleaned from that study.

34% of Malaysians do not know the sexual history of their partners.

A bit of a recipe for disaster when you consider the lack of protection and awareness. I can totally understand the second bit – people usually only talk about their sexual history after they’ve known each other for a while. Strangely, the very same people have sex *before* they consider it polite or feel comfortable enough to ask.

Anyway, some of these problems can be addressed by using protection. It’s not 100% effective (nothing ever is) but it’s close enough for government work. You’ll have a better chance in getting hit by a car while walking down the street.

Durex is coming out with a limited edition product from 1st February onwards. It’s the most trusted brand around so you can’t go wrong with these contraceptives. The Durex Love-Box comes in 8 stylish and cool designs and it’s really a great way to carry condoms around.

Instead of slipping a single into your wallet (which is actually a very bad place to put it – heat and friction) you can put the box into your pants. Hey, with the interesting Durex Love-Box designs, it could even be a conversation starter. ;)

Durex Love-Box will be available exclusively at Watsons. There are 3 Durex Fetherlite condoms in each. Best thing is, you can use the boxes for other stuff when you’re done too. :D

In conjunction with the launch and upcoming Valentine’s Day, Durex is having a contest on Facebook where you can win the perfect getaway for 2 to Krabi worth RM 10,000. Just strike an affectionate pose and take a photo – no purchase necessary! Like the Durex Malaysia Facebook page for more details!

McDonald’s just came out with BILLY’S GIANT EGG
this Thursday and I just got one of the few remaining units. The
packaging has a typo on it and only says BILLY’ GIANT EGG.

BILLY’S GIANT EGG is the second last electronic game in the Sega 3
series and I got a Cheeseburger Happy Meal but didn’t eat it (told the
McDonald’s server that I only wanted the game, but I took the drink). ;)

The manual is printed like the previous iterations of the McDonald’s
/ SEGA collaboration – it’s a single sheet of paper with instructions
on how to play the game – in this case BILLY’S GIANT EGG, another Sonic
franchise character.

BILLY’S GIANT EGG also comes in a clamshell design and has two
directional buttons in the shape of eggs. The premise of the game is to
get Billy to collect fruits while the egg gets bigger and bigger (three
sizes) while avoiding hazards.

Here is a screenshot of the action – BILLY’S GIANT EGG was way too
easy for me. I finished the game on the first try and consistently
managed to get through all three levels and hatch the egg. It was a
total contrast to the previous unit’s hard gameplay.

McDonald’s came out with the 3rd iteration of their McDonald’s / SEGA video game franchise partnership and this time it’s free with every purchase of a Happy Meal. I collected the first McDonald’s / SEGA collaboration [sixthseal.com] as well as SEGA 2 [sixthseal.com and I wasn’t about to miss the third.

TAILS SKY ADVENTURE is the first electronic game in the Sega 3
series and David was kind enough to get it for me while I was in the
hospital (it was the very last set). It came with a Cheeseburger and
Corn Happy Meal if that interests you, which I don’t think it does. ;)

The manual is printed like the previous iterations of the McDonald’s
/ SEGA collaboration – it’s a single sheet of paper with instructions
on how to play the game – in this case TAILS SKY ADVENTURE, a Sonic
franchise character.

TAILS SKY ADVENTURE opens up like a clamshell phone to reveal the
game which has two directional buttons and an action button. The
premise of the game is to shoot down rogue squadrons by moving left and
right and pressing the button while navigating TAILS to victory.

Here is a screenshot of the action – it’s a little harder than the
previous games, or perhaps I’ve just lost a lot of my hand eye
coordination from the benzos and antipsychotics I’m taking coz I
couldn’t even finish it after the sixth attempt!

The Sega2/McDonalds mini video game promotion has ended. McDonald’s
released a new mini video game made by the Sega team every week on
Thursday. It’s a joint promotion that continues where the first one
left off, thus the name Sega2. The mini video games retails for RM 6
each with every McDonald’s meal purchase. There were six different mini
video games in total, and it’s all reviewed and linked here:

This is the last mini video game in the Sega2 mini video game
promotional tie in with McDonalds – Knuckles Baseball. It just came out
this morning and it’s the sixth and final one in the series.

The packaging of this one has a slight difference from its previous
five predecessors. This one opens up at the top and bottom instead of
from the sides.

Here’s what Knuckles Basketball looks like. It has a dark orange
color scheme, with the usual transparent cover. It only has two up-down
directional buttons though, to make Knuckles go in three possible
positions to catch the baseball.

The manual indicates that this is a simple game, and true enough, I finished it on the first run.

Here’s the pre-printed color background. It shows a baseball field and Sonic as the batter.

Amy & Rouge Tennis is the latest game in the Sega2/McDonald’s
joint promotion. It just came out today and it’s the first one to
feature different covers on each side. The one above shows Amy, and the
picture behind that shows Rouge.

This is Rouge. The non-mirror image packaging is novel, I postulate
it’s coz this game features two protagonists instead of one. I think
Amy is meant to be cute and Rouge meant to look like some faux bad ass.

Here’s the plastic shrink wrap it came in. It’s the now standard, relatively thick covering with the name of the game on it.

This is the manual. I’ll be honest and say that I can’t make head or
tail (no pun intended) of the game rules. I don’t know how to play it.
This is definitely the hardest to understand game in the series – it
has the most complex game play by far.

Here’s the mini video game in all its glory – pink motif, and a nice sticker with the characters on it.

This one also follows in Shadow Basketball’s footstep in the
controllers – it has two left and right toggles to move the
character(s) and a blue button to hit the ball or something. I think
you switch from Amy to Rouge at some point.

The pre-painted background is the most colorful one to date – the
two characters are represented at top right and top left with colored
detail and the game field shows a full length tennis court.

This is not something I could finish just by repeatedly pushing the
button. I still can’t finish it. I don’t know how to play it. I can’t
finish it! Does that make me stoopid?